Liquor being sold above MRP

Lalit mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 1

Despite directives from the state government, liquor vend owners in Kangra district are not issuing invoices to customers. The customers are being charged more than the MRP fixed by the state government.

Haminder Singh, a tourist from Punjab, said he went to purchase a bottle of liquor from a vend on Khaniara road. The MRP on the bottle was Rs 565 but the salesman sold it for Rs 750. The vend salesman neither displayed the rate list, nor he had a bill book.

Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Dharamsala, Vivek Mahajan, said orders had been issued to all L-2 (retail) vend owners that they should issue invoice to all customers. The government had also fixed the MRP for liquor so that consumers are not fleeced.

He said a complaint regarding overcharging and non-issuing of invoice was received regarding the L-2 vends at Darnu village. A chargesheet has been issued to the vend owner and he would be fined under the excise policy, the Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner said.

The previous Congress government had adopted a policy, under which retailers could decide the MRP of liquor on their own.

However, the present BJP government has reversed the policy.

The present government had implemented the MRP for liquor and also made issuing of invoice mandatory.

Some liquor vends were selling old stock that has no printed MRP rate on liquor bottles. The excise officials said for old stock the government had fixed the MRP and it was mandatory for liquor vend owners to display the rate list. Steps have been taken to prevent fleecing of customers and tourists by the liquor retailers in the state.

The sale of liquor spikes in the peak tourist season in the state. A survey at the retail points at tourist spots as McLeodganj revealed that most of vends were not issuing invoices to the consumers. The hoteliers also alleged that the tourists are being overcharged for liquor.

Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary of the hotel association of Dharamsala, revealed that tourists were generally being overcharged by liquor vend owners.